OntheWilderSide

Elizabeth May welcomes Blair Wilson as first Green Party MP

Green Party leader Elizabeth May is welcoming MP Blair Wilson to the Green Party as the first Green Member of Parliament in Canada. Mr. Wilson, MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, will serve
in the Green Party Shadow Cabinet.

“Today we make history,” said Ms. May. “I am grateful for Mr. Wilson’s principled belief that the Green Party deserves a voice in Parliament and for his firm commitment to democracy. With a Green MP sitting in the House of Commons, it will now be impossible to exclude the Green Party from the televised leaders’ debates in the next election.

“I am also pleased that Mr. Wilson has agreed to join our Shadow Cabinet as Immigration Critic. As a past member of the House of Commons Immigration Committee, he is well-qualified for this role and brings expertise to this position that will prove invaluable to the Green Party.”

Mr. Wilson has served as an Independent MP since autumn of 2007.

“Not only do I embrace the policies of my new party, I will feel that all my past difficulties are justified if, by my actions, I can make a real difference by ensuring Elizabeth May is included in the leaders’ debates,”
said Mr. Wilson. “There is a democracy deficit in Canadian politics and this is one step in restoring effective democracy in Canada.

“Democracy is threatened when legitimate national leaders are barred from what is arguably the single most important political event in an election – the televised debates. It is shocking that the Green Party was excluded from the debates in the past, but by joining the Green Party, I can help guarantee that this travesty will not be repeated in the next election.

“More now than ever before, it is critical that the voice of the Green Party is heard. I am looking forward to working hard as Canada’s first Green MP.”

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